A young Guyanese with a passion for wildlife photography would soon be taking us on a journey to remote areas with the launch of his mini documentary series on adventure tourism titled ‘Inside REEL.’
Filmed and produced through his production company, REEL Guyana, Alex Arjoon is all excited about the launch, which takes place on May 20 via online media.
The documentaries, which are narrated by the legendary singer/songwriter, Dave Martins, consist of six episodes about eight to 10 minutes long. These would be streamed on FaceBook and YouTube and aired weekly on television.
The REEL Guyana FaceBook page contains trailers of the documentaries that captured breathtaking footage of the nature and wildlife in Guyana’s hinterland locations. The documentaries feature the Rupununi including Apoteri, Rewa and Yupukari among other places.
The young entrepreneur considers himself “lucky to have the opportunity to travel around the country and I think it would be remiss of me not to share it with everyone.”
He added: “There is so much to learn and I really think that knowing more about Guyana and understanding what we have and who we are as a country would add to our sense of patriotism.”
How does he find the experiences of filming wildlife?
“Quite amazing… It is always exciting to see wildlife unsolicited; coming across majestic looking creatures really sort of broaden your mindset of the ecosystems that are here in Guyana and how they contribute to the landscape and our natural environment.”
Arjoon added, “It is always great to take pictures of wildlife and see [the] actions going on, especially when you’re in the middle of nowhere. It gives you that sense of uncertainty.”
But more than anything else, he just wants to tell the story of Guyana. “I think there are so many sub-stories that are not necessarily covered. I really want to tell those stories and as a Guyanese… I think film is an amazing way to do that.”
REEL Guyana is mostly an environmental film production but he does “a lot of pieces on Guyanese heritage and culture with an aim to stimulate the creative industry.”
“Arts is another way to tell the stories, which is why we need to collaborate with young creative talents” for films and music. But the older folks would not be left out, as it is always good to have the “cross-generation” involved.
His first episodes reflect the talents in Guyana, consisting of sound producers, recording artists, filmmakers and writers.
Arjoon who returned to Guyana three years ago after completing his studies in the US, said he had put in a lot of effort to produce the high-quality films to bring awareness to nature, culture and arts.
In a recent interview, he told Stabroek News that this is the first time he is doing something of this magnitude and is all excited about the launch.
Having fun
What is the best part of him producing the documentaries?
It is the fun he has while capturing the candid wildlife photos and breathtaking footage. In fact, the whole idea of him getting down to filming the documentaries started out with him “having fun.”
But most of all he feels “very privileged for the amazing opportunity to continue to do that kind of work,” especially with people offering to take him along on their trips to the interior locations.
He also enjoys playing a part in bringing awareness to important matters for Guyana.
“For instance, the coastal defence, which protects against sea level rise, is an important issue to think about, especially in this day and age of climate change.”
“As Guyanese we need to pay attention to that because in five to 10 years it would be crucial,” he pointed out.
He has done films for the Ministry of Tourism, the Public Sector, Guyana Forestry Commission, Iwokrama, Ministry of Public Infrastructure, the Ministry of Education, as well as a “mind-blowing piece for the fishing industry.”
He is grateful to his mother, Annette Arjoon for playing a key role in overseeing his work and said her environmental background and knowledge about the country is certainly an asset.
“Her charitable work and her networks in the field have given her the experience of knowing what needs to be covered,” he said.
Arjoon’s work has not gone unnoticed, and in August 2018, he received an award from the Department of Social Cohesion, Culture, Youth & Sport.
The award was presented “in recognition of his outstanding achievements in advancing youth development through Environmental Conservation & Protection.”
REEL Guyana also won an award in November last year from the Ministry of the Presidency for its efforts in showcasing & promoting Guyana’s natural & cultural heritage through the use of cutting edge technology & imagery.
Peeved
If there is one thing that he is peeved about it is that the creative industry in Guyana is not the most respected.
He finds it “very discouraging when you put your efforts into a piece of work and others use it as their own.”
He made reference to the public sector for using his footage in an awareness video without consulting him.
“If they are going to do that they at least have to let me know or ask my permission or offer a compensation. These are the people who are in charge of making copyright laws…”
“If they are taking my stuff just like that to make awareness videos, it is the biggest blow… and like a slap in the face. Then how are we supposed to make a living? People’s work should be respected and not pirated… This is something we have to push for.”
Meanwhile, he said that his whole effort in producing the documentaries is based on his pride of being Guyanese. As such, he is reaching out for the involvement and support of more local businesses.
Currently, most of his support comes from foreign business owners. He said it is unfortunate that it is the foreigners who are more inclined to support this kind of initiative.
He is aware that he has to be self-motivated, noting: “If they [Guyanese] do not see the value [in his work], then at the end of the day, the company just has to sustain itself.”
As for when he would start his next documentary series, it will be “when I get sponsorship. I plan to get the public and private sectors involved…”
He is hopeful though that, “As the ball gets rolling on the creative industry, people would recognise its importance… It is still a work in progress but it is coming along.”
